The Story

S3 was hired early in the conceptual phase for this project. The client had a distinct need for a resolution to a multifaceted problem. The existing entrance to the campus was located 100 feet south of an un-signalized intersection that was divided by two cities. Subsequent to the transit issues were the size and visual subtleness of its presence. Motorist would pass the campus for years and be entirely unaware of its existence.

We immediately got to work and divided the scope into two separate projects. For both projects S3 took the lead as “Master Builder” meaning we worked to establish the budget, scope and design, vetted and hired the project team, worked with all public offices for planning and approvals and constructed the scope of work.  

The first project was inclusive of all public works, including ADA improvements, landscaping, new traffic signals, re-striping lanes, a Metro bus stop relocation and new street lighting along 1000 feet of public highway. What made this portion of the project challenging was jurisdiction. The city of Los Angeles owned the northern half of the intersection and the City of Burbank owned the remaining portion to the south. This meant needing the approvals and coordination of two separate municipalities for one project.

The second leg of this project included all improvements to the university itself. These capital improvements consisted of developing ~1 acre with drought tolerant landscape, 400 feet of new roadway and infrastructure, a passive rainwater management system, new guardhouse, relocation of historic concrete pillars and gates, replication of original wrought iron gates, electrical service upgrades and new cast-in-place concrete walls to flank the new entry. Our biggest challenge for this scope was logistics. The old entry had to remain operational while the new one was being constructed.